Drop-rail for roundhouses.



PATENTED MAY 14, 1907.

H. J. DRUMMOND. 'DROB RAIL FOR ROUNDHOUSES. ArkrLIoATIoN FILED 11212.28. 1907.

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HENRY J. DRUMMOND, ETNA,PENNSYLVANIA.

DROP-RAIL FQFi ROUNDHOUSES.

Application filed February 28.1907. Serial No. 359,856

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1907.

To cr/Z whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J. DRUMMOND, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Etna, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drop-Rails for-Roundhouses, of which the following is a specication, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawing.-

This invention relates to drop rails for round houses, and buildings where locomotives are housed, and the invention has for its object to provide positive and reliable means for lowering a section of track beneath a locomotive body, the locomotive body being propped or supported, while the wheels of said locomotive are lowered.

My invention aims to obviate the necessity of jacking up or elevating the boilers or bodies of locomotives in order that the axles and wheels of a locomotive can be removed. To this end, I simply place suitable supporting blocks under the ends or sides of a locomotive boiler or body, release the axles and wheels from their bearings, and lower said axles and wheels, whereby workmen will have easy access to the bearings and under side of a locomotive.

My invention is particularly adapted for the renewing of engine wheels, it being possible to quickly remove the wheels of an engine or locomotive and place new ones beneath said engine or locomotive.

The detail construction entering into my invention will be hereinafter more fully described and then specifically pointed out in the appended claims, and referring to the drawing forming part of this specification, like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of my improved drop rails, Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line y-y of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a longitudinalI sectional view taken on the line -x of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of one of the jacks or hoisting mechanisms employed for raising and lowering the rails.

To put my invention into practice, I construct a large raising and lowering device which is installed in a suitable pit or subway 1. The device consists of longitudinally disposed I-beams 2.arranged in pairs and connected by longitudinally disposed plates 3 and 4. The ends of each set of I-beams are connected by similar beams 5, thus providing a metallic rectangular frame.

Upon the plates 3 are suitably secured rails 6 constituting a section of track adapted to normally aline with the tracks 7 leading to the pit or sub-way 1.

Supportin the rectangular frame within the 'pit or su -way 1 are a plurality of jacks or hoisting mechanisms 8, said jacks being equally distributed beneath the plates 4. I do not care to confine myself to the type of jack or hoisting and lowering mechanism used, and in order that my invention may be fully understood I have illustrated a conventional form of jack in Fig. 4 of the drawings, comprising abase 9 having a vertically disposed bore 10, in which is mounted an interiorly threaded sleeve 11. Adjustably mounted in the sleeve 11 is a screw 14 carrying a telescopic head 15, adapted to support part of the rectangular frame of my improved drop rails. The telescopic head 15 is provided with a bearing 16for a shaft 17 having a beveled gear wheel 18 meshing with a beveled gear wheel 12, carried by the screw 14. The shafts 17 have their outer ends provided with spur gears 20.

- Carried by the plates 4 are a plurality of bearings 21 and in said bearings are journaled shafts 22 carrying spur wheels 23 meshing with the spur gears 20. The shafts 22 are provided with beveled gear wheels 24 meshing with beveled gearwheels 25 mounted upon the ends of a shaft 26, journaled in bearings 27. In this manner the shafts 22 are geared together. To drive said shafts, I provide one of said bearings 21 with a hanger 2S supporting a beveled ear wheel 29 meshing with one of the bevele gear wheels 25.

The beveled gear wheel 29 is slidably mounted upon a rectan ular vertically disposed shaft 30 journale in the pit or subway 1, the upper end of said shaft being provided with a beveled gear wheel 31 meshing with a beveled gear wheel 32 carried by the armature shaft of a suitable motor 33.

It is obvious that other gearing than that .just described can be employed for operating the jacks in unison, and for this reason I do not care to confine myself to the specific structural details entering into this part of my invention. It is thought that the operation of raising and lowering the rectangular frame and section of track will be apparent from the foregoing description taken in con- IOO IOR

IIO

nection with the drawings, and I desire it to be understood that such changes in the minor details of my improved drop rails, as are permissible by the appended claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 4

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for elevating car bodies, a rectangularly elevating frame comprising longitudinal parallel beams spaced apart, plates on vlhe upper faces of said beams and plates secured to the lower faces of said beams, cross beams connecting the said parallel beams at the ends, a plurality of jack screws arranged underneath each parallel beam, bearings carried by the plates secured to the lower faces of said parallel beams, shafts journaled in said bearings and geared to said jack screws7 and means for operating said shafts to simultaneously actuate the j ack screws.

2. In a device for elevating car bodies, a

rectangularly elevating frame comprising longitudinal beams spaced apart and arranged parallel with each other, rails mount,- ed on said beams, plates secured io ihe underneath face of said beams, cross beams oonnecting the parallel beams at their ends7 a plurality of jack screws arranged underneath each parallel beam, bearings carried by the plates and secured to the underneath face of said beams, and shafts journaled in said bearings, gears connecting said shafts with the jac i screws, operating means for driving one of said shafts, and gear connections between said operaiing means and ihe other shaft for driving both of ihe shafts simultaneously and operating all of the jack screws in unison. i

In testimony whereof l allix my signature in the presence of two wii'inesses.

HENRY J. D HUMMONI). fitnesses ANTHONY GaviN, DAVID A. IsEMAN. 

